Ifo’s Abberger says that there is even a balance between optimists and pessimists over the 6 month outlook. He says it’s questionable if recent economic recovery is self sustainable or robust, although recovery may not be sustainable as stimulus packages expire and joblessness rises. He says that the ECB does not need to change interest rate from 1% and that the current exchange rate is not a problem for companies now but that could change. Companies are still considering job cuts but they are not so skeptical about exports and they are expecting further support from foreign demand. The German election this Sunday did not play a big role in September’s Confidence Survey.